With the advent of the computer age, computer software users have grown accustomed to user-friendly software applications that help them write, calculate, organize, prepare presentations, send and receive electronic mail, make music, and the like. For example, modem electronic mail programs allow users to send and receive electronic mail to and from other users. Modem electronic mail programs also allow users to store sent or received mail in a variety of user-established storage folders.
According to prior electronic mail programs, a user interface may be provided for storing a list of received, sent or stored electronic mail messages or records. A typical electronic mail record includes information identifying a party from which an email message is received or to which an email message is sent. Additional information may identify the subject of the message and the time of message receipt or sending.
Prior systems allowed users to group email messages together in a user interface according to an electronic mail conversation. That is, all messages received by a user, sent by a user or stored by a user that are part of an electronic mail conversation between the user and other parties relating to a particular subject could be grouped together to allow the user to read, review, or otherwise dispose of messages included in a given electronic mail conversation. According to prior systems, when messages contained in a given conversation grouping were displayed, all messages included in the conversation grouping were displayed. All messages whether read or unread could be displayed or could be collapsed under a grouping heading. Unfortunately, when the user expanded the conversation grouping, or reviewed already displayed electronic mail messages under the conversation grouping heading, the user was required to review the list of all messages even though the user may only be interested in viewing unread messages. Additionally, if a conversation grouping contained only one email message, the user nonetheless had to select the conversation grouping heading for expansion to find that only a single email message item was included. Thus, the user had to perform unnecessary steps to read or otherwise dispose of single email messages placed in an electronic mail conversation grouping.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved conversation grouping method and system for electronic mail records or messages. It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.